1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ventilated garments and means for venting heat and moisture from within a wearer's clothing. More specifically, the present invention relates to a belt-worn, rapidly deployable and stowable structure that provides clearance between a wearer's lower back and the wearer's trouser waistline, whereby a pathway is established to dissipate heat and moisture from within a wearer's trousers.
The human body has several mechanisms for regulating its body temperature to maintain homeostasis. These include the flow of heat to the body's extremities, conduction and convection of heat from the surfaces of the body, radiated heat to and from the environment, and evaporative cooling via sweat evaporation. It is well understood that the human body needs to regulate its internal temperature within a narrow range in order to remain healthy. Excessive heat can cause physiological stress that can lead to injury, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke. For most individuals, this involves wearing climate-appropriate apparel to keep warm or to remain cool; however for individuals such as field workers, military serviceman, and business professionals, the ability to choose apparel may be limited to longer, bulkier and more restrictive clothing given work requirements, the work environment, designated uniform and safety standards or precautions necessary for the given task.
Military uniforms, combat uniforms, construction clothing and professionals in suits are all susceptible to overheating on hot days and in high humidity, high temperature environments. The ability for the body to regulate its temperature by releasing heat is reduced since most of its surface area is covered, preventing heat from dissipating and trapping moisture. The present invention is particularly concerned with the trapping of heat and moisture within long pants or trousers, which can cause excessive sweating and poor regulation of body heat. The ability to vent heat and moisture from trousers provides a means to reduce the heat trapped therein and create a flow of air that can draw heat away from the body and increase evaporative cooling. This is particularly true on hot summer days, in tropical or desert environments, and in those environments where the base of the wearer's pants are tucked into or secured to the boot upper.
Various structures have been developed for venting garments in the art; however a clear need exists in the art for a device that can vent a pair of trousers while providing for ease of deployment. Most vents are sewn into the garment, which is not possible for uniforms or for professional attire. The introduction of spacer elements between the user and the garment is useful for creating air flow and letting heat escape, but the spacers themselves are not conveniently stowable or carriable between uses. The present invention contemplates a structure that offsets a wearer's trousers along the waistline using a readily deployable structure that can remain in a stowed state without requiring the user to carry or otherwise handle the device in between uses. Specifically, an offset device having a deformable frame supporting a mesh material is disclosed, which preferably clips to a wearer's waistline and is bent into its working shape when deployed and released when the offset is not required. When released, the device remains clipped to the wearer but is not creating an offset, does not requiring handling or stowage, and can be hidden within the user's clothing to lower its visual signature.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to garment ventilation means. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications, and generally relate to articles of clothing having zippered openings, vents and other structures for providing a pathway for air and moisture to escape a wearer's article of clothing. None of the prior art devices reflect a belt-worn member that expands when deployed to provide an air gap for heat to escape a wearer's pants while in hot and humid climates. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,760 to Moretti discloses a ventilated item of clothing that comprises a plurality of spacer elements that are arranged along the internal part of the user's shoulders within an item of clothing. The spacer elements create a gap between the clothing item and the wearer's shoulders, while a venting element allows heat within the gap to escape through the shoulder region of the garment. The venting element is a mesh screen that allows moisture and heat to dissipate, while the spacer elements are supported by the wearer's shoulders and prop the shoulder region of the garment away from the body of the user. While disclosing a static means of venting one's upper body garment, the Moretti device is limited to static configurations, where the spacer elements are continually deployed. The present invention pertains to a deployable and stowable spacer structure that clips to a wearer's trousers to provide an air gap between the lower back of the user and the top of the trousers for heat dissipation.
Similar to Moretti is U.S. Pat. No. 7,636,955 to Plut discloses a protective article of apparel that includes a plurality of spacers configured to maintain a buffer volume within the body portion between the apparel material and the wearer. The spaces include compliant members adapted to be placed along the wearer's neck, establishing an air channel leading toward a head shroud on a protective or hazardous material suit to facilitate ventilation and air exchange in an out of the hood. The Plut device is adapted to provide an offset between a hazardous material suit and a wearer to improve airflow, reduce heat and increase breathing of the user. Air passes through a filter and flows through the suit for heat regulation and improved breathing. The Plut device, however, provides a structure that is significantly divergent in intent and design from that of the present invention, which is designed for normal and utility trousers in hot work environments.
Other devices relate to apparel venting devices that employ openable structures or zippered vent locations to release heat from within a garment. Most of these devices relate to heavy jackets and motorcycle protective gear that provide vents for heat and moisture release or for providing a year-round weather jacket. One such device that exemplifies this area of the art is U.S. Pat. No. 8,276,213 to Maurer, which discloses a venting mechanism having an opening, a zipper closure, a mesh arrangement to prevent objects from entering through the closure and a no-catch mechanism for securing closed the opening without snagging the mesh. Devices of this type are deployed on garments of all types and are built into the structure of the garment. The present invention, by contrast, provides a readily deployable structure that offsets the waistline of a pair of trousers for heat release, wherein the structure is attachable to any existing trousers or can be manufactured to be connected thereto. This provides flexibility with regard to deployment and stowage of the device, as desired by the wearer and as necessary to provide a venting system for existing garments.
The present invention comprises a netted frame that is flexible into a bowed shape, whereby the outer frame member is secured into a compressed configuration by a pair of straps while the mesh membranes to offset the wearer's trouser beltline from the waist of a wearer. This allows air to flow in and out of the wearer's trousers, releasing heat and thereby improving heat regulation in hot climates and while wearing full length trousers. It is submitted that the present invention is substantially divergent in design elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing trouser venting devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.